Voltage regulator cut out



March 1, 1966 c. DAY

VOLTAGE REGULATOR CUT OUT Filed Feb. 18, 1963 lil K INVENTOR. ZAefA/cf AY W M Arme/vars.

United States Patent O 3,238,440 VOLTAGE REGULATOR CUT OUT Clarence Day, 19 Fitzherbert St., Bloomfield, NJ. Filed Feb. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 259,319 s Claims. (C1. S22- 70) This invention relates to a voltage regulator cut out eliminator and has as its primary object the provision of a device which may be readily and expeditiously attached to the voltage regulator of a vehicle t-o cut the voltage regulator out of the generating circuit to thereby produce rapid charging of the battery.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which may be snapped on and off of any standard voltage regulator and readily adjusted to ground the field, without disrupting the circuit between the generator and the battery.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is operated without the necessity of connecting or disconnecting any associated wiring, simply by the rotation of a screw.

These and other objects of this invention will be readily understood from the descriptive disclosure of a plurality of embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the device disposed upon the lugs of one of the two standard types of voltage regulators used on automobiles,

FIG. 2 is a section view taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. l,

FIG. 3 is a section View taken substantially on line 3 3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a section view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. l,

FIG. 5 is a top plan View of a modified device adapted to fit the other standard type of voltage regulator such as shown in Kuhar U.S. Patent No. 2,657,351,

FIG. 6 is a section view taken substantially on line 6 6 of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 is a section View taken substantially on line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

Turning to FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawing, a standard voltage regulator 10 secured by bolts 11 to the body fra-me 12 of an automobile and grounded externally or outside of the generator is provided with three lugs. These lugs are, lug 13 designating that lug that engages the armature (A) or generator, lug 14 designating the lug (F) engaging the field circuit on the generator, and lug 15 designating the lug B to the battery.

The regulator cut out or eliminator of this invention is used only to produce a rapid charging of a dead or semidead battery. After charging the battery the device is removed from engagement with the lugs of the regulator and stored away for future use.

The device is made up from an elongated block 21 of plastic or `other insulating material. A first elongated integral metallic strip 22 is embedded in the body 20 and is provided at one end with an extended spring finger 23 and at the other end with an extended spring finger 24.

Finger 23 engages a terminal screw 16 on lug 13 the armature lug and finger 24 engages terminal screw 18 on lug 15 to the battery.

Strip 22 is provided with a relatively large aperture 25 and the block 20 is provided with a corresponding aperture 28.

A second relatively short integral metallic strip 30 is 3,238,440 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 embedded beneath and parallel to the first strip 22 and is provided with a threaded aperture disposed in the aperture 28 of the block 20. A suitably long metallic screw 26 is provided with a head 27 and is disposed through aperture 25 of the long strip 22 without touching it and then threadingly into the threaded aperture of the short strip 30. The strip 30 is provided with a single spring finger 31 which engages lug 14, the field lug. Thus metal screw 26 electrically engages only the metal strip 30. Suitable rotation of screw 26 causes the pointed tip 33 thereof to penetrate any paint on the body frame 12 to produce a grounding of the field circuit of the generator (FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 1, the armature circuit wire 34 of this type of generator is grounded outside the armature 35, and the field circuit is likewise externally grounded. Generators of this type are used on automobiles made by General Motors. In such instance, grounding the field by turning screw 26 causes the current to go directly from the generator 35 and lug 13 through strip 22 to lug 15 and then to the battery 36 through cable 37.

Turning now to the other standard voltage regulator used in automobiles FIGS. 5 to 7, the regulator 40 is provided with a lug 41, the battery (B) engaging lug, a lug 42 or the armature (A) engaging lug, and a lug 43 the field (F) lug. Lug 42 is provided with a threaded terminal screw 41, while lug 42 has a screw 45 and lug 43 has a screw 46.

As in FIGS. 1 to 5, the device of FIGS. 5 to 7 consists of a block 47 of electrical insulator material such as plastic and a pair of metallic strips embedded therein.

In the modification of FIGS. 5 to 7 the two metal strips are of about the same length. A first integral metal strip 48 is embedded in the block 47 and is provided with spring fingers 49 and 50 on its respective ends extending beyond block 47 and adapted to seizingly engage the terminal screws 41 and 42 to produce an electrical connection therebetween.

A second embedded integral metal strip 51 is provided with an extended spring finger 52 adapted to clip onto terminal screw 46. The free end of strip 51 is disposed over strip 48 and it is provided with a threaded aperture in which a threaded screw 53 is disposed. The insulator block 47 is provided with a cavity 55 located over the threaded aperture of the second metal strip 51 and extending to the first strip 48. The screw 53 is provided with a head 54 so that it may be manually rotated in order to selectively engage the first strip 48 thereby producing an electrical connection between first strip 48 and the second or field strip 51.

Turning of the head 54 of screw 53 causes its end 56 to frictionally engage strip 48.

In the generator shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 the field circuit 57 is internally grounded in relation to the armature 58 so that the generator 58 charges the battery 59 directly through strip 48.

I claim:

1. A snap on device for rapidly charging a battery and adapted to seizingly engage a voltage regulator of an automobile on the three lugs thereof, the GEN or A lug, the F of field lug and the B or battery lug, for by-passing said voltage regulator during the charging process comprising elongated insulator means; a first electrically conductive strip having a spring finger on each end extending beyond said insulator means for engaging said GEN and said B lugs; a second or field electrically con- 3 4 ductive strip having a single spring finger for engaging References Cited by the Examiner said eld lug, and screw threaded means disposed elec- UNITED STATES PATENTS trically connectively in a threaded aperture of said field strip and adapted to place the eld circuit in parallel with 2,657,351 10/1953 Kl'lhar 32o-28 the generator Circuit 5 2,746,006 5/ 1956 H111 322-70 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the screw threaded 3,121837 2/1964 Holm et al 322-28 means is adapted to engage the ground directly.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the screw threaded LLOYD MCCOLLUM P'mmry Exammer' means is adapted to engage said first conductive strip. A. H. TISCHER, W. E. RAY, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SNAP ON DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY CHARGING A BATTERY AND ADAPTED TO SEIZINGLY ENGAGE A VOLTAGE REGULATOR OF AN AUTOMOBILE ON THE THREE LUGS THEREOF THE GEN OR A LUG, THE F OF FIELD LUG AND THE B OF BATTERY LUG, FOR BY-PASSING SAID VOLTAGE REGULATOR DURING THE CHARGING PROCESS COMPRISING ELONGATED INSULATOR MEANS; A FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE STRIP HAVING A SPRING FINGER ON EACH END EXTENDING BEYOND SAID INSULATOR MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID GEN AND SAID B LUGS; A SECOND OR FIELD ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE STRIP HAVING A SINGLE SPRING FINGER FOR ENGAGING SAID FIELD LUG, AND SCREW THREADED MEANS DISPOSED ELECTRICALLY CONNECTIVELY IN A THREADED APERTURE OF SAID FIELD STRIP AND ADAPTED TO PLACE THE FIELD CIRCUIT IN PARALLEL WITH THE GENERATOR CIRCUIT. 